flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

High-rise 'slum' in Venezuela to be shuttered

High-rise 'slum' in Venezuela to be shuttered

The tower, called Torre David, is 45 stories of incomplete concrete, glass and steel.


By BD+C Staff | July 24, 2014

For more than 4,400 squatters in Caracas, Venezuela, the time has come to move on. An unfinished skyscraper that has stood in the city for over a decade has become home to not only people, but shops, basketball courts and prayer meetings.

Authorities have decided to move the squatters out, allegedly to investigate the structural soundness of the tower, which is the country's third-tallest skyscraper, the Miami Herald reports. 

The tower, called Torre David, is 45 stories of incomplete concrete, glass and steel. Construction began on the building in 1990, but screeched to a halt when financial crisis struck Venezuela in 1994. The building was about 60 percent complete at the time, and construction never resumed. 

Over time, it became a vertical city for squatters. The community really kicked off in 2007, when an evangelical minister led the occupation of the building.

There are rumors that the tower is being cleared because Chinese developers bought the site, but the government says they are unfounded.

Related Stories

| Feb 14, 2012

Thornton Tomasetti names Al Hashimi vice president for its Middle East Operations

Al Hashimi is joining the company to help expand Thornton Tomasetti’s business in the region and support clients locally.

| Feb 8, 2012

World’s tallest solar PV-installation

The solar array is at the elevation of 737 feet, making the building the tallest in the world with a solar PV-installation on its roof.

| Jan 30, 2012

Hollister Construction Services to renovate 30 Montgomery Street in Jersey City, N.J.

Owner Onyx Equities hires firm to oversee comprehensive upgrades of office building.

| Jan 16, 2012

Mid-Continent Tower wins 25 Year Award from AIA Eastern Oklahoma

Designed by Dewberry, iconic tower defines Tulsa’s skyline.

| Jan 4, 2012

Shawmut Design & Construction awarded dorm renovations at Brown University

Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2012, and will be completed by December 2012.

| Jan 3, 2012

Rental Renaissance, The Rebirth of the Apartment Market

Across much of the U.S., apartment rents are rising, vacancy rates are falling. In just about every major urban area, new multifamily rental projects and major renovations are coming online. It may be too soon to pronounce the rental market fully recovered, but the trend is promising.

| Dec 27, 2011

Ground broken for adaptive reuse project

Located on the Garden State Parkway, the master-planned project initially includes the conversion of a 114-year-old, 365,000-square-foot, six-story warehouse building into 361 loft-style apartments, and the creation of a three-level parking facility.

| Dec 21, 2011

BBI key to Philly high-rise renovation

The 200,000 sf building was recently outfitted with a new HVAC system and a state-of-the-art window retrofitting system.

| Dec 19, 2011

Chicago’s Aqua Tower wins international design award

Aqua was named both regional and international winner of the International Property Award as Best Residential High-Rise Development.

| Dec 14, 2011

Belfer Research Building tops out in New York

Hundreds of construction trades people celebrate reaching the top of concrete structure for facility that will accelerate treatments and cures at world-renowned institution.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Curtain Wall

7 steps to investigating curtain wall leaks

It is common for significant curtain wall leakage to involve multiple variables. Therefore, a comprehensive multi-faceted investigation is required to determine the origin of leakage, according to building enclosure consultants Richard Aeck and John A. Rudisill with Rimkus. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021